Research Interests

"Some chemists, having synthesised a few compounds believe themselves to be better chemists than nature, which, in addition to synthesising compounds too numerous to mention, synthesised those chemists as well."

"Form follows function"

.....engineering benchmarks can serve as predictions for how Darwinian organisms ought to work. The more uncannily the engineering specifications for a system match the facts of the organism, the more confidently we can infer that the organism was selected to perform that function.

Steven Pinker, Nature2000, 404, 441

It is often said that 'form follows function' and this can be shown to be true of many biological systems. We are particularly interested in showing the converse for those marine natural products whose functions have yet to be defined. My premise is that we can infer the true biological/ecological function of a natural product by careful study of its form using spectroscopic and physicochemical techniques. This type of investigation is the main theme of our research program. In addition we are taking examples from nature and modifying them in order to carry out alternative functions.

External Responsibilities

2009- Member of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry Subcommittee on Biotechnology

2010- Member of the Industrial Biotechnology Sector Group of the Biosciences Knowledge Transfer Network

2010 - UK member of the Marine Biotechnology working group of the European Science Foundation's Marine Board Marine Biotechnology Working Group that authored the report "Marine Biotechnology – A European Strategy"